Assessment of noise measurements made with a continuous monitoring in time

The World Health Organization has stated that hearing loss is one of the top 10 health problems worldwide and that noise-induced hearing loss is the leading occupational disease. This work evaluated the noise exposure levels of several job categories for 24-h periods over 7 days to determine the contribution of each microenvironment to total noise exposure. The noise exposure levels of 47 individuals were continuously measured using personal noise dosimeters in metropolitan Seoul, Korea. Participants ranged in age from 20 to 50 yr and represented eight occupational groups. Participants were asked to attach the noise dosimeters and complete a time-activity diary 24 h a day for 7 days. The average Leq 24 h,w among these individuals was 74 dBA, which ranged from 64 to 96 dBA. The average Leq 24 h,w was highest for Korean traditional music apprentices, followed by heavy equipment operators, firefighters, service workers, office workers, industrial hygienists, graduate and undergraduate students, and housewives (89, 77, 76, 76, 75, 71, 71, and 71 dBA, respectively, p